A
referendum
A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
on
statehood for the District of Columbia was held on November 8, 2016. It was the first
referendum
A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
on statehood to be held in the district. The
District of Columbia
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
was created following the passage of the
Residence Act
The Residence Act of 1790, officially titled An Act for establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the Government of the United States (), is a United States federal statute adopted during the second session of the 1st United States Cong ...
on July 9, 1790, which approved the creation of a national capital, the City of Washington on the
Potomac River
The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...
.
District of Columbia voters were asked to advise the Council to approve or reject a proposal, which included advising the council to petition Congress to admit the District as the
51st state
"51st state" is a phrase used in the United States of America to refer to the idea of adding an additional state to the current 50-state Union. Proposals for a 51st state may include granting statehood to one of the U.S. territories or Washing ...
and to approve a constitution and boundaries for the new state. The voters of the District of Columbia voted overwhelmingly to advise the Council to approve the proposal, with 85.69% of voters voting to advise approving the proposal.
Background
Formation
On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the
Residence Act
The Residence Act of 1790, officially titled An Act for establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the Government of the United States (), is a United States federal statute adopted during the second session of the 1st United States Cong ...
, which approved the creation of a national capital on the
Potomac River
The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...
. The exact location was to be selected by President
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
, who signed the bill into law on July 16. Formed from land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, the initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring on each side, totaling .
Congress passed the
Organic Act of 1801, which officially organized the District and placed the entire territory under the
exclusive control of the federal government. Further, the unincorporated area within the District was organized into two counties: the
County of Washington to the east of the Potomac and the
County of Alexandria to the west. After the passage of this Act, citizens living in the District were no longer considered residents of Maryland or Virginia, which therefore ended their representation in Congress.
The
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...
voted in February 1846 to accept the return of Alexandria. On July 9, 1846, Congress agreed to
return all the territory that Virginia had ceded. Therefore, the District's current area consists only of Maryland's originally donated portion. Confirming the fears of pro-slavery Alexandrians, the
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five separate bills passed by the United States Congress in September 1850 that temporarily defused tensions between slave and free states during the years leading up to the American Civil War. Designe ...
outlawed the slave trade in the District, although not slavery itself.
Voting rights and home rule
In 1961, the
Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twenty-third Amendment (Amendment XXIII) to the United States Constitution extends the right to participate in presidential elections to the District of Columbia. The amendment grants to the district electors in the Electoral College, as ...
was ratified, granting the District three votes in the
Electoral College
An electoral college is a body whose task is to elect a candidate to a particular office. It is mostly used in the political context for a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliament ...
for the election of president and vice president, but still no voting representation in Congress.
In 1973, Congress enacted the
District of Columbia Home Rule Act
The District of Columbia Home Rule Act is a United States federal law passed on December 24, 1973, which devolved certain congressional powers of the District of Columbia to local government, furthering District of Columbia home rule. In par ...
, providing for an elected mayor and 13-member council for the District.
Earlier attempts at statehood
Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution gives Congress power to grant statehood. If the District were to become a state, congressional authority over the District would be terminated, and residents would have full voting representation in both houses of Congress. However, there are several constitutional considerations with any such statehood proposal.
In 1980, local citizens passed an initiative calling for a constitutional convention for a new state. In 1982, voters ratified the constitution of a new state to be called "New Columbia".
This campaign for statehood stalled. After the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment expired in 1985, another constitution for the state of New Columbia was drafted in 1987.
The House of Representatives last voted on D.C. statehood in November 1993, and the proposal was defeated 277–153. Like retrocession, it has been argued that D.C. statehood would erode the principle of a separate federal territory as the seat of the federal government and that a constitutional amendment would be needed to avoid a violation of the Constitution's District Clause.
In July 2014, President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
became the second sitting President, after Bill Clinton in 1993, to endorse statehood for the District of Columbia. In a town-hall event, he said, "I'm for it." He added that "folks in D.C. pay taxes like everybody else, they contribute to the overall well-being of the country like everybody else, they should be treated like everybody else," Obama said in response to a question. "There has been a long movement to get D.C. statehood, and I've been for it for quite some time. The politics of it end up being difficult to get through Congress, but I think it's absolutely the right thing to do." D.C. residents now pay more in taxes than 22 states.
For more than 20 years following the 1993 floor vote, there were no congressional hearings on D.C. statehood. But on September 15, 2014, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs held a hearing on bill S. 132, which would have created a new state out of the current District of Columbia, similar to the 1993 bill.
Modern statehood movement
On April 15, 2016, District Mayor
Muriel Bowser
Muriel Elizabeth Bowser (born August 2, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the current mayor of the District of Columbia since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she previously represented th ...
called for a citywide vote on whether the District should become the 51st state. This was followed by the release of a proposed state constitution. This constitution would make the
Mayor of the District of Columbia
The mayor of the District of Columbia is the head of the executive branch of the government of the District of Columbia. The mayor has the duty to enforce district laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the D.C. Council. ...
the governor of the proposed state, while the members of the City Council would make up the proposed House of Delegates.
On July 10, 2016, the D.C. Council unanimously approved the referendum. If the people approve the proposal, the council will vote to approve the measure.
Ballot
The District of Columbia voters were asked whether to advise the District Council to approve or reject a four-part proposal, where advising the council to approve the proposal would establish that the citizens of the District of Columbia (1) agree that the District should be admitted to the Union as the State of New Columbia; (2) approve of a Constitution of the State of New Columbia to be adopted by the Council; (3) approve the State of New Columbia's boundaries, as adopted by the New Columbia Statehood Commission on June 28, 2016; and (4) agree that the State of New Columbia shall guarantee an elected representative form of government.
However, while “New Columbia” appeared on voting ballots, the
Council of the District of Columbia
The Council of the District of Columbia (or simply D.C. Council) is the legislative branch of the government of the District of Columbia. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state and is overseen ...
passed legislation changing the name of the proposed state to the "State of Washington, D.C." Under this proposed name "D.C." stands for "Douglass Commonwealth," a reference to the historic
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world.
The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14, 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was the most impor ...
.
Proposed Constitution
Boundaries
The boundaries of the proposed state would be about the same as the boundaries of the District, except for a small area around the National Mall and the White House, allowing the federal government to maintain control over a much smaller district.
Government structure
The legislative branch of the proposed state government would consist of a unicameral 21-member Legislative Assembly. Each member of the legislature would serve a four-year term. The Governor of the proposed state would serve four-year terms and be elected in even years where there is no federal presidential election. When a vacancy occurs in the office, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly would become the acting Governor until a special election occurs, which would have to occur at least seventy days, but no more than 174 days after the office becomes vacant. The proposed state would also be fiscally responsible for its judicial system, which the federal government currently funds. The attorney general would remain an independently elected office, while the new state would no longer have to submit laws or budgets to Congress for approval, as the District of Columbia is required to now.
Two years after the proposed state is admitted to the union, a constitutional convention would be called to make changes to the state constitution, and any changes would be voted on for approval or rejection by the voters of the proposed state.
Results
In this election, when asked the referendum question, "Shall the voters of the District of Columbia advise the Council to approve or reject this proposal," this was the tally of the final vote:
Aftermath
While a majority of residents voted in favor of statehood, numerous challenges still exist that might hamper creation of the state, including lack of Congressional support; DC currently does not have voting-level congressional representation, and the national
Republican Party is against the idea of statehood, due in part to political concerns that DC statehood would be detrimental to the Republicans since the new state would likely send an entirely Democratic delegation to Congress.
The prospect of statehood may raise Constitutional problems. "Article I, Section 8
f the U.S. Constitutionprovides explicitly for a national capital that would not be part of a state nor treated as a state, but rather a unique enclave under the exclusive authority of Congress—a neutral 'district' in which representatives of all the states could meet on an equal footing to conduct the nation's business." Statehood for Washington, D.C., would thus imply the passage of a
Constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment (or constitutional alteration) is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly alt ...
and the creation of a new district to serve as the seat of the federal government. However, the
DC Admission Act retains a federal "district" (the bill dubs it "The Capital") that the federal government will still administer by shrinking the existing federal district down to a minimal size while granting the rest of DC statehood.
In 2017, separate bills were introduced by the District's non-voting Delegate,
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is an American politician, lawyer, and human rights activist. Norton is a congressional delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she has represented the District of Columbia since 1991 as ...
, and
Tom Carper
Thomas Richard Carper (born January 23, 1947) is an American politician and former military officer who served from 2001 to 2025 as a United States Senate, United States senator from Delaware. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), D ...
, a senator from
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
, for statehood, which again failed to reach a vote.
In 2019, following the
2018 election that saw the
Democratic Party regain control of the House of Representatives, the Democratic leadership put its support behind the admission of the District as a state, with
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...
, the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, one of the 155
co-sponsors of the Bill introduced by Eleanor Holmes Norton in January 2019. The House passed H.R. 1, a nonbinding resolution of support for statehood, in March 2019.
In June 2020, during the
George Floyd protests
The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...
that took place across the country, then-U.S. President Trump called in the
District of Columbia National Guard
The District of Columbia National Guard is the branch of the United States National Guard, National Guard of the United States based in the District of Columbia. It comprises both the District of Columbia Army National Guard, D.C. Army National ...
to clear protesters, an action that angered the District's mayor and council; owing to the District's status, the
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
is the commander-in-chief of the National Guard, whereas in a state the commander-in-chief is the
state's governor. On June 26, for the first time, D.C. statehood was approved by a chamber of Congress when the House voted 232–180 to approve the Washington, D.C., Admission Act, thereby sending it to the Senate. Again sponsored in the Senate by Tom Carper, with the majority of the Democratic caucus as co-sponsors, the bill was the first time that the issue of DC statehood had reached the floor of the Senate.
Voting for the bill in the House of Representatives was along party lines, with Democrats in favor of admitting the District of Columbia as a state and Republicans opposed. In response to the passing of the bill in the House, several Republican members of the Senate labeled the legislation as a "power grab" as, in their view, it would give the Democrats an almost guaranteed two seats in the United States Senate, given that the District has voted overwhelmingly Democratic for decades. The
Trump Administration also made clear that, were a bill admitting the District of Columbia as a state to be passed by Congress, Trump would
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...
it.
The
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...
of
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
as President removed the threat of a presidential veto to such a bill, and Biden declared his support to admit the District of Columbia.
However,
Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell McConnell III (; born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky, a seat he has held since 1985. McConnell is in his seventh Senate term and is the long ...
, the then
Senate Majority Leader
The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and people of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as chief spokespersons for their respective political parties, holding the ...
, made it clear that while there remains a Republican majority in the Senate, any D.C. admission bill would not be granted a vote on the floor of the Senate. This would require the introduction of a new bill once the
new session of Congress began on January 3, 2021.
On January 4, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia's non-voting delegate, reintroduced into the 117th Congress with a record 202 co-sponsors. On January 6, following the victory of the two Democratic candidates in the
Senate elections in Georgia that gave the Democrats the majority, and thus made Senator
Chuck Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New York (state), New York, a seat he has held since 1999. ...
(a D.C. statehood supporter himself) the new
Majority Leader, the Mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser, issued a statement renewing the call for statehood for the District, stating her desire to see a Statehood bill on the desk of President Biden within 100 days of the start of the new Congress. The same day, the
storming and occupation of the United States Capitol mainly by supporters of Donald Trump led to calls from others for the District's status to be changed; because of its status, the activation of the
District of Columbia National Guard
The District of Columbia National Guard is the branch of the United States National Guard, National Guard of the United States based in the District of Columbia. It comprises both the District of Columbia Army National Guard, D.C. Army National ...
to assist local law enforcement required the consent of the
Secretary of the Army
The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...
, while the
Governors of Virginia and Maryland were able to activate units of their states'
National Guard
National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
...
directly. On January 27, a companion bill, , was introduced into the Senate by Tom Carper with a record 38 co-sponsors. On April 14, the
United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative United States congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one o ...
voted to pass the bill, paving the way for the House of Representatives to vote on it. The House passed H.R. 51 on the 22nd with a vote of 216–208.
On April 30, Democratic senator
Joe Manchin
Joseph Manchin III ( ; born August 24, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia from 2010 to 2025. He was West Virginia's only congressional Democrat until he registered as ...
came out against both H.R. 51 and S. 51, effectively dooming their passage.
See also
*
Washington, D.C., Admission Act
*
2020 Puerto Rican status referendum
A referendum of the status of Puerto Rico was held on November 3, 2020, concurrently with the general election. The Referendum was announced by Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced on May 16, 2020. This was the sixth referendu ...
*
District of Columbia statehood movement
The District of Columbia statehood movement is a political movement that advocates making the District of Columbia a U.S. state, to provide the residents of the District of Columbia with voting representation in the Congress and complete ...
*
Puerto Rico statehood movement
The Puerto Rico statehood movement () aims to make Puerto Rico a state of the United States. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territorial possession of the United States acquired in 1898 following the Spanish–American War, making it "the old ...
*
51st state
"51st state" is a phrase used in the United States of America to refer to the idea of adding an additional state to the current 50-state Union. Proposals for a 51st state may include granting statehood to one of the U.S. territories or Washing ...
References
{{reflist, group=lower-alpha
External links
*
DC Statehood'
Politics of Washington, D.C.
Statehood
A state is a political entity that regulates society and the population within a definite territory. Government is considered to form the fundamental apparatus of contemporary states.
A country often has a single state, with various administrat ...
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
History of Washington, D.C.
Statehood
A state is a political entity that regulates society and the population within a definite territory. Government is considered to form the fundamental apparatus of contemporary states.
A country often has a single state, with various administrat ...
District
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...